Mentors and mentoring

I sorta like the idea however I think an idea might be just to get a list of experienced authors on the forum (like TEM in my opinion anyway) who inexperienced ones would be welcome to email their stories to for commenting on style, grammer etc.

If we went with a listing of authors willing to help, the authors could list their specialties if they have any, like "good understanding of grammer" etc and they could also list what they do not particularly want to be involved with, example I do not like M/M and if there are other stories I could help with then that would be preferred. I do not think all mentors have to have special skills but if they were listed the new writer could check out a few of the stories written by them and chose who he/she thinks could help them the most.

If such a listing existed I do not think it would cause any additional work for Februs, secondly I think it would be easy for authors to go on and off the listing as their own lives dictated, and lastly it would be very private which may encourage shy writers to seek the help they need without anyone except their chosen mentor ever knowing unless the writer reveals it.

This as mentioned by several authors above would be strictly voluntary and we all would continue to encourage all new authors via our positive comments on the submitted stories. This said the ones seeking help would also understand if they do not agree with the suggestions from the mentor, they are suggestions and the writer can submit his story as they please. The editing functions already in place by the Library admin would stop any unacceptable story just as they do now.

Like it was stated above there are many ways to tweak this, overall a good idea I just think the less hassle we can make it on Februs and everyone else the better chance of success.

I could possibly mentor someone, but I don't know how I'd go for time and the time zones here in Australia don't mesh well with those elsewhere. Besides my wife doesn't think I have a great grip on grammar and punctuation as it is. She's often advising me to invest in a bag of commas.

The Storyboard idea sounds like it would serve the purpose. I've never understood what it was for and I've never seen much activity on it, but if we could copy in stories, get them reviewed/discussed, and take them back down when they're ready to "really" submit, that sounds like what Guyde was hoping for.

As someone who spends hours a day amending those things that would be my concern with this... who mentors the mentors lol. However, from the point of view of helping people with story lines, ideas and structure then perhaps this could be useful, the same as having someone to just say whether they think an idea could work or not...

Another question is who decides who is experienced? Is the person who has written several hundred stories experienced even though they come in with the same errors time after time, or is the person who has written a dozen stories who improves each time experienced? Who is qualified to say so?

I can see this idea having some merit but I can also see a few pitfalls too...

I think that there are several issues here. As Pink says, 'who mentors the mentors?' If at least one element of this 'service' is helping writers achieve/sustain certain standards, somebody or some group has to set the parameters. After all, the rules of spelling, grammar and punctuation are quite inflexible and have to be adhered to.

It would almost be necessary to have at least a couple of 'mentoring' options, the first giving assistance on a storyline and its choice and development, the second the accuracy of the text. Sadly, it could well prove that a mentor who was excellent and invaluable in the first instance might find the 'polishing' and presentation requirements more difficult.

The above could be seen to confuse the issue further, but I do think the idea has a lot of running in it and I believe this entire discussion can only add to the quality of the library's resources.

And who mentors the mentors who are mentoring the mentors who mentor? Answers on a postcard please!

Please may have this in Latin as per the original Juvenal!

(For which I was corrected for using a 'slang' form of the original by one of our erudite readers.)

A prize of either a visit to Miss Thrashbottom or a get out of a thrashing by said lady, whichever suits you best, to the first to provide the answer.

I think such a facility may be of some use. I would have been delighted to have received constructive criticism and advice before my first very nervous attempts- which would't have taken place without the help of Alex Birch, who just very kindly told me they were good enough to publish.

One would have to be very careful though. I remember when as co-editor of the faculty student rag, my co-editor-the creative and funny one, chucked me a pile of A4 , saying " #### gave me that for publication. It's unreadable and would make her a laughing stock. You're the grammatical one, please try to do something with it."

I wasted two nights editing it, while trying to sort the grammar out, keep the original sense, and shorten it down to our maximum length. My co-editor made a few additions and we published it under her name.

The morning it was published after a small tutorial group she had a go at me and flounced out, not to speak to me civilly again for a term and never to forgive me!

I was obviously upset and the young tutor said "What was that all about?"

I told him, and with a knowing smile he sympathised, adding at least you only have to read it once a year, we have to wade through that and similar, and try to mark it every day!

However after my usual departure from the original; I would always try to offer my hopefully sympathetic and constructive criticism to anybody misguided enough to ask.

I would also find it useful on occasions to have a few respected co-authors have a look at some things for publication where I have a few doubts, in particular those that have been kicking around waiting for to finish-as I obviously don't have full confidence in these.

Ah Latin!! Well possibly Quis mentoriet ipsos mentordes? Then again possibly not!

Me?


I would hope that at least ONE of those options involves actual spanking.